PureInsight | November 26, 2006
[PureInsight.org] (New England Fahui 2006) Here is a brief report on some experiences that I would like to share.
Part one: Obtaining Dafa
I obtained the Fa in the summer of 2000. As I read Zhuan Falun
for the first time it was the most extraordinary experience that I have
ever had. The numerous questions that were held in my heart for my
whole life and the most intimate things that I pondered regarding
people, life, the world, and the universe were being directly spoken to
me through a book. I was completely blown away! At the time I felt as
if the Great Spirit that I knew existed, yet who's form and
consciousness I couldn't fathom, was finally answering my prayers and
wishes and directly divulging His secrets to me, but in a way that
exceeded my imagination. As I read the book I remember the tremendous
surprise and immense joy that filled my heart. So much so that I
remember laughing out loud in shock several times while reading! It
only took two or three sittings for me to finish Zhuan Falun
for the first time, and when I did finish, I was still in great shock.
I remember clutching the book to my chest thinking that I have been
given the most precious thing on earth.
This is just like what Master said in Lecture 8 of Zhuan Falun,
"Many people have practiced qigong for a very long time. There are also
people who have never practiced it, but who have pursued and pondered
the truth and the meaning of human life. Once they learn our Falun
Dafa, they will understand at once many questions in life that they
have wished to understand but could not answer. Perhaps along with
their minds being elevated, they will become very excited—this is for
sure. I know that a genuine practitioner will know its weight and
cherish it."
One experience I recall at this time happened while doing the second
exercise, the "Falun Standing Stance." I was holding my arms in the
first posture, Holding the Wheel in Front of the Head. After only a few
moments of holding my arms there my mind was suddenly very clear to me.
As if I was suddenly given a clearer perspective on my thoughts, as if
viewing them from a third person perspective. The thoughts that came up
were pretty laughable, such as, "I'm tired, I'm hungry, I have to go to
the bathroom, or this hurts!" I could hardly believe that holding my
arms up could make me feel so weak and pitiful! Soon after the
exercise, I left the house and was walking down the street. Everything
was different: clearer and more real. When I talked to people, my
thoughts were again very easy for me to see. I realized that many
things that I said and did had selfish motives behind them. However, I
was now more aware of them. It was a little sad for me to realize how
selfish I had become, but then I knew that I had the ability to change
that!
Predestined Relationships
A few years after I started to practice, I contacted my local State
Representative to set up a meeting to talk about Falun Dafa. I met him
in the same coffee shop where my friend, to whom I had previously
given an audio Lecture tape, had obtained the Fa. We sat at the small
table engulfed in the aroma from roasting coffee beans. It was an
interesting environment to share my thoughts with my State Rep, but it
was where he suggested we meet. A mutual friend of both the State
Representative and I came in and sat down at the table with us to chat
for a few minutes. I had no idea that we shared the same friends, and
this brought us closer together and helped us develop a good rapport.
He decided that he could help by sponsoring a Maine State Joint
Resolution. Working along with local practitioners, we each took on
various roles in getting the resolution and its sponsors working toward
our goal. This process required lots of communication.
Around this same time, I had taken a trip. On the way back I had a
layover in Pittsburgh, PA. Guess who was waiting in line to board a
plane? My state representative and his wife! I approached him and we
talked briefly. We were able to talk more about the project, how things
were progressing and when we would talk again.
Not long afterwards, while I was raking up some leaves from my lawn, I
saw someone walking up the street by my house. I squinted a bit to see
and recognized the man as my state rep! I yelled out from the woods,
Ben?!" Once again we were talking and establishing our
predestined relationship.
Eventually, through the work of our local practitioners working
together, and our predestined relationships with our local officials,
we were able to have the Maine State Joint Resolution unanimously
passed by our Senate and House of Representatives. From this experience
I have learned that we need to maintain our righteous thoughts under
all circumstances and follow the path arranged by Master. The
opportunities will present themselves as long as we are doing well the
three things that Dafa disciples are doing and we can make use of the
opportunities presented to validate the Fa and to help master save more
sentient beings.
Part 3: Wu Wei, Righteous Thoughts, and Righteous Actions
Like Master Li says in Zhuan Falun,
"In cultivation and practice one should be in a state free of
intention." (Lecture 2, "The Issue of Pursuit".) Here are some examples
of gaining naturally without pursuit within the righteous field of
Dafa.
While maintaining righteous thoughts and a state of non-intent, we are
able to follow the path that Master has arranged for us and not let
interference from our own minds disrupt the path that Master has
arranged for us. A couple of years ago some practitioners and I
attended the "Total Wellness Expo" in Portland, Maine. The expo has a
few psychics, people selling gems and crystals, aura photographers, and
the like. We were there demonstrating the exercises and displaying and
handing out truth-clarification literature. After the expo, I was told
by one of the psychics that usually after an event she would feel like
she was reduced to a puddle and totally sapped of strength, but by
having us there, we recharged her and she didn't at all feel tired!
A little while later the organizer of the event came up to me and
offered to have me come to future events at half price. After attending
a few more events, with the positive field of our Dafa booth, the
organizer invited me to another event called "Psychic Sundays" free of
charge and said that he would love to have me there. At the events I
talked with many people about the practice and the persecution being
perpetrated by the CCP. Many people have learned the truth there and
some have joined our group exercise practice and have even brought
their friends. One man who was a self-defense instructor at a local gym
invited me to speak to his classes about Falun Dafa and give some
exercise demonstrations. We were able to go to classes weekly for two
years and spread the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution of
innocent people by the Chinese communist party to many people who
attended.
Just last week, I attended this year's first Psychic Sunday, which is
held every second Sunday of the month. While there, I demonstrated the
exercises and handed out materials as usual. I had some very good
conversations with supportive people who had good predestined
relationships. Toward the end of the event, I wanted to talk with a
couple of guys who had a display table of large crystals for sale. As I
had the thought of clarifying the truth to them, I could feel strong
interference trying to frighten me into not speaking to them, using my
attachment to the pursuit of comfort and non-confrontation.
It was like Master said in Lecture 6 of Zhuan Falun,
"Demonic Interference from Ones Own Mind", "Whenever there is
interference of one kind or another in qigong practice, you should look
for reasons within yourself and determine what you still have not let
go."
When looking inside, I had felt myself coming up with excuses of why I
shouldn't approach them, and that it would be easier to just leave, but
these thoughts weren't from me. I wanted to save them. I could feel the
resistance in the form of my attachments and it manifested in this
dimension as well. While standing in the doorway, two people were
walking between the two men with the crystals and myself.
Unconsciously, they started to physically block me from the table while
talking to me and were almost ushering me out the door. Seeing this
happening and feeling the strong interference targeting my attachments,
I knew that I had to break through the interference and deny the old
forces' arrangements. I could feel that these two had a strong
predestined relationship and they were waiting for me to help save
them. I needed to save them. Like in Lecture 4 of Zhuan Falun,
"Transformation of Karma", "When you always maintain a heart of
benevolence and compassion, you will have time or room to buffer the
confrontation and think, should a problem arise suddenly."
I told myself not to have any intent, and to keep a calm heart and a
righteous state of mind. As soon as these righteous thoughts
arose and my heart calmed down, the two people blocking my way suddenly
stepped aside. I immediately walked up to the table and commented on
the beauty of the large crystals they had and asked the two gentlemen
where the crystals were from. The one man answered me and then
immediately told me that the two of them had been watching me do the
exercises and wanted to know more about them. I gave each of them the
brochures that I had and started to explain to them about Falun Dafa.
The one man told me that he has seen qigong on TV and that he saw a man
crumple a ball of newspaper and throw it on the ground and ignite it
using his hand from a few feet away. I began to tell him about gong
or cultivation energy and about the principals of Truthfulness,
Compassion, and Tolerance. I also explained about the exercises, how
they work, and that people who do this in China are severely
persecuted. I told him that the exercises are also very powerful. He
then said that the other man at the table could "see" and that he had
seen, "a lot of light over there when you were doing the exercises." I
smiled and reiterated that the practice is very powerful and gave them
information on how to find the books and where the local exercise
practice site is located. They were both very interested and
supportive. I felt good knowing that I had helped Master to save people
that had good predestined affinity by maintaining strong righteous
thoughts and negating the old forces' arrangements for the pursuit of
comfort and by using righteous thoughts to deny interference.
When maintaining a calm mind and heart of benevolence, one can
accomplish the goal of helping to save all sentient beings and
opportunities to clarify the truth will naturally present themselves.
Those with predestined relationships will be put in our path and it is
precisely that opportunity that we need to take advantage of.
Another example I'd like to share is a situation that occurred in Texas
with some fellow practitioners from the Boston area. Those of you that
were there are sure to remember. A few other practitioners and I had
taken a mini van to Texas A&M University where Jiang Zemin (the
Head of the Evil) was having a meeting. We had arrived pretty much as
the meeting was ending. After splitting up and trying to find an
opportunity to send forth righteous thoughts within close proximity, it
was decided that we might have better luck leaving the campus and
finding somewhere where we could wait for the motorcade to pass. We
planned on holding up signs to protest the unjust persecution and SFRT
in close proximity. We drove the van around for quite a while and it
was hard for us to find a good place to pull over and wait. There were
many police around the area and it wasn't possible to simply pull over
to the side of the road due to security issues with the passing
motorcade. We finally found a side road, parked, and waited for signs
of the motorcade.
We sat for awhile with nothing happening. Another practitioner decided
that he would take a banner and walk down to the road with it, and I
followed. The two of us were walking down the street with the banners
tucked under our shirts hoping for the chance to unfurl them at the
passing motorcade. Well, after a while, we gave up and went back to the
van. Now we were all a bit dejected about what to do and where to go.
It seemed that we had tried everything at this point. So, we decided to
head back toward the University.
Low and behold, as we approached a four-way intersection, we were
stopped by a policeman. We were instructed to wait where we were until
given further notice. Soon, several police cars were driving the
opposite way from the direction we were facing, signaling to us that
the motorcade should be following any minute. Using our righteous
thoughts and actions, we were able to hang a banner out of the van
window like a billboard only a few meters of the Evil's motorcade while
we held up our palms and SFRT. Soon after the motorcade passed, we were
then motioned by the police to continue on our way. We all felt so
fortunate that we were given such a perfect opportunity to clear up the
interference using righteous thoughts and allow Master to present us
with such a perfect opportunity to give such a clear and visible
statement to the motorcade as well as sending righteous thoughts within
close proximity.
This situation reminded me of what Master said, "But if your righteous
thoughts are strong, then Master and the Law-guardian Gods can do
anything for you." ("Fa-Lecture during the 2003 Lantern Festival at the
U.S. West Fa Conference") By maintaining righteous thoughts we were
given this most valuable opportunity,
On their way to Texas, many practitioners stopped in Chicago where the
Head of the Evil Forces was also having meetings. One evening several
practitioners and I were waiting at a train station next to a highway.
The plan was to hold up banners as the Evil's motorcade passed by. We
waited for a while and eventually the motorcade drove by. I held up my
banner that read "Falun Dafa Hao" in clear view of the motorcade. As
soon as the motorcade passed I heard someone shout, "Hey. Put that
down!" I was startled to see a policeman walking in my direction. He
asked me what I was doing. I said, "Holding up a banner to protest to
the CCP." What does the banner say?" He asked with agitation. I said
that it simply said that "Falun Dafa is good." "Oh." He said, a little
surprised and then said that I couldn't do that and he was going to
give me a ticket. At the time I didn't mind and had a heart that was
unmoved. I knew that I had done the right thing.
Soon more practitioners and police officers were gathered around and
the officer that had shouted at me was issuing me the ticket. We were
told that we weren't allowed to be there because it was private
property and there were complaints about practitioners from the day
before. The officers then showed us a signed paper that indeed said
that we weren't allowed to be there. As the officer was writing the
ticket, the other practitioners and I started to clarify the truth to
the police. We gave them pamphlets about the atrocities done by the CCP
and the Head Evil and told them why we were really there. It seemed
that the police were very sympathetic to us and understood why we were
really there, although the one officer was still intent on issuing me a
ticket. When I got back to Maine I had to call the courts to discuss
the hearing about my "infraction." After several phone calls the courts
still had no record of the ticket at all. It was never turned in.
Letting go of Attachments
I still have attachments that I need to relinquish in my cultivation.
The attachment to lust and the attachment to the pursuit of comfort are
two attachments of mine that I would like to share. As soon as I feel I
have given them up, they seem to surface again. When I feel the
attachments surface I remember that Master said in 1999 in "Teaching
the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference," "That's actually an
excellent state. In other words, you're able to sense the bad side of
yourself, so you should repel it, resist it and reject it. You should
repel it from your mind, not follow those thoughts, and stop doing
those bad things. Then you are cultivating and improving--that's called
cultivation."
When looking inside closely I can see that both of these attachments
are due to my still having selfish notions and a desire to feeling
pleasure and being comfortable. When indulging in them, I seem to
satisfy my desires, but a desire is an attachment that has to be let go
of during cultivation. Once it is let go, we make an improvement
and ascend. Just like that bottle filled with dirty things: pour out a
little, move up a little. By resisting, repelling, and rejecting
those selfish thoughts, we are negating the old forces' arrangements,
improving ourselves and walking on an upright path. Only when walking
on the upright and narrow path, can we do our best for Dafa and truly
help Master to save all sentient beings. If we indulge in desires and
other attachments, we are actually going the opposite way and could
cause losses for Dafa and ourselves.
The attachment to the pursuit of comfort causes me to be less than
diligent with doing the exercises. When feeling tired from work, I'll
postpone doing them until the morning. When morning comes if I'm again
too tired I will tell myself that I will do them tonight, so I don't
need to do them in the morning. This is a bad cycle! My righteous
thoughts need to be strong. When my righteous thoughts are strong I am
able to put my personal feelings and pursuit of comfort aside and play
the exercise music. Once the music is started I have no problem in
doing the exercises.
In Lecture 9, "A Clean and Clear Mind," of Zhuan Falun,
Master reminds us, "In genuine cultivation practice one must cultivate
one's own heart and inner self. One should search inside oneself rather
than outside." Whenever attachments surface, upon looking inside
and looking at my heart, there is always something for me to improve on
or let go. Whether it's a desire or a selfish notion, it needs to
surface and be discarded. If we genuinely look within ourselves, there
is always something for us to improve on or let go.
Also from Lecture 9 in Zhuan Falun,
"People with Great Inborn Quality," "You must be strict with yourself.
In cultivation of the Buddha Fa, you should strive forward vigorously."
We need to keep striving forward and constantly let go of human
attachments to achieve the standard of a Fa Rectification Dafa
Disciple. Otherwise how can we keep up with the current of Fa
Rectification? We need to always look inside when encountering a
tribulation and purge any unrighteous elements. By sending forth
righteous thoughts at set times and whenever we encounter interference,
it will help us to maintain the state of having righteous thoughts and
righteous actions and keep up with the current situation. Most
importantly, we need to study the Fa with a calm mind. If we keep our
minds and thoughts in the Fa, we will know how to handle things
properly and will be able to use our wisdom to negate the old forces'
arrangements and clarify the facts.
In closing I would like to say to my fellow practitioners, let's keep
up with the progress of Master's Fa-rectification with benevolence and
righteous thoughts that we have cultivated from Dafa. Eliminate all
human notions and pursuits of comfort. Let's improve and become
diligent together, walk every step well, use our righteous thoughts,
righteous beliefs, and righteous actions to validate the Fa of the
cosmos and save all sentient beings. If we are thinking about others
first and know that we need to help Master save sentient beings, study
the Fa with a clean and clear mind, SFRT to dispel interference and
harmonize and improve with one another, we will be able to do handle
things properly and do well the things that we need to do.
Recently I have been very busy moving into a new house and starting a
new job. At times I have been working 14 hours a day between work and
moving. In the meantime I have been writing this experience sharing
report and reminding myself that I need to make it a priority. I have
continued to send forth righteous thoughts to keep myself free from
interference and wish to share my experiences with fellow
practitioners in the hopes that something I have said can be helpful to
others. Please remember to always put the Fa first and use strong
righteous thoughts to dispel any interference and continue doing the
three things that a Dafa Disciple should do.
